Questions tagged [word-usage]
Wortgebrauch - Questions on usages in German language.
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How to use "doch"
I know "doch" is used to contradict a negative statement:
A: Das ist nicht wahr.
B: Doch!
It's a great word for this usage and some languages really lack this word.
But, I found it hard to ...
user508
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What is the difference in usage between “vielen Dank” and “Danke schön”?
I know that they are both essentially polite and mean Thanks a lot, Many thanks etc. but I’ve always wondered if there is a specific difference between the two.
Is there a specific context or ...
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Was ist der Unterschied zwischen den Fragewörtern "wieso", "weshalb" und "warum"?
Wo liegt der Unterschied zwischen den Fragewörtern "wieso", "weshalb" und "warum"? Ist er regional, gibt es subtile Unterschiede in den Bedeutungen, oder gibt es noch einen anderen Grund für die ...
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How to use "hier", "dort" and "da" properly in German?
In English "here" and "there" are typical pairs to indicate space and distance. The same is true of Hungarian ("itt" and "ott").
But in German it's a bit different: I have seen "da" many times in ...
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What is the difference in usage between “Möhre” and “Karotte”?
I've been doing a bit of German practice and encountered the words Möhre and Karotte. Supposedly, they both mean carrot, but I can’t see where these would differ in usage. Any ideas?
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Was ist der Unterschied zwischen "reden" und "sprechen"?
Ich denke, sie sind Synonyme; aber sind sie es wirklich? "Reden" scheint mehr umgangssprachlich zu sein, während "sprechen" ganz viele verschiedene Bedeutungen hat. Warum gibt es das Wort "reden"? ...
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Are “Kinder” still their parents’ “Kinder” when they grow up?
In English, child can mean a young person, but it can also mean something like “offspring” or ”progeny”—i.e., it can denote the relationship that one has with one’s parents. For example, it is ...
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What is the difference between "nun" and "jetzt"?
This question also has an answer here (in German):
Wo liegt der Unterschied zwischen "nun" und "jetzt"?
I hear nun and jetzt used a lot but I've not been able to pick out what ...
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6
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What is the difference between “ändern” and “verändern”?
I'm still confused about the difference between ändern and verändern. I have read something about ändern only being used with small changes and verändern when something changes totally. But where ...
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How to refer to a woman based on her age?
For example, you wouldn’t use girl for a 40 years old woman or kid for a 20 years old woman (unless you’re far older).
Fräulein for single woman between what ages?
What is the age range for Mädchen?...
- 301
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2
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Menschen vs Leute
Is the same to say Menschen and Leute? When are they exchangeable? I've heard that if you know the people you use one of this words, but I don't know which. (And I don't know if what I've heard is ...
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Do people actually use the word "kaputt" in conversation?
Related: Is something "kaputt" just broken or completely ruined?
Do people actually use the word "kaputt" in conversation, or would this be a strange thing to say? For example, if I ...
27
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3
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Spricht man über ein Mädchen/eine Frau mittels „sie“ oder „es“?
Diese Frage wurde auch hier (auf Englisch) beantwortet:
Can ‘sie’ be used to refer to ‘Mädchen’?
Wenn man über ein Mädchen oder über eine Frau spricht, spricht man dann von ihm oder von ihr?
...
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Difference between "Ich möchte" and "Ich hätte gern(e)" and "Ich würde gern(e)"
I don't like phrase books for their original purpose. I prefer to use them to find out different ways to to say the same thing and learn the differences.
This brings us to these three...
1 ."Ich ...
- 1,011
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When to use “beziehungsweise”
Beziehungsweise:
a) (stilistisch unschön) [oder] vielmehr, besser/genauer gesagt – sinnv: oder
Er war mit ihm bekannt bzw. befreundet
b) und im anderen Fall
Die Fünf- und Zweipfenningstücke waren ...
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What are the differences between "Kunststoff" and "Plastik"?
When I googled for it, some people say it's formal vs colloquial, some others say there is no difference between the two. Some say Kunststoff is more general. That made me confused.
In addition, is ...
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7
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What time does "Vormittag" start and end?
This morning I read someone's message (written at 7am) saying that he likes "den frühen Vormittag".
In my opinion 7am in the morning isn't Vormittag yet. Is there a definition for the time span ...
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4
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When to use "gibt es" and "es gibt", respectively?
Being new to German, I am not properly affiliated with the correct grammatical use of gibt es and es gibt. All I know is that they both mean there is in English.
So in what scenarios do I use each one ...
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1
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Why the switch from “ihr” to “Sie” in the following speech from Band of Brothers?
Near the end of the TV mini-series Band of Brothers about World War II, a short speech is given by a German general to his subordinates. In the speech, he uses ihr (and related pronouns euch and euer)....
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6
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The term "Mahlzeit"
I recently started working in a place in Berlin, Germany, and though my German is OK I guess, there's a common term that I don't understand. It's Mahlzeit.
When people leave from work around lunch ...
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2
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What's the difference between "können" and "könnten"?
I'd like to know when it's appropriate to use "können" and when "könnten", are they completely interchangeable? Is it like the difference between "can" and "could&...
user508
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What's »Aldää« in »Ey jo, was geht, Aldää?«
As I was looking up the word ey in dict.cc, I noticed a rather interesting colloquial expression:
Ey jo, was geht, Aldää? [ugs.] = Whazzup? [coll.]
What does Aldää mean above? I could not find the ...
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4
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Was ist der Unterschied zwischen "worden" und "geworden"
Laut canoonet.eu ist das Partizip von werden entweder worden oder geworden. Gibt es einen Unterschied zwischen den beiden?
Kann man immer geworden benutzen, oder gibt es Fälle, in denen geworden ...
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votes
4
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What are differences between "fließend" and "verhandlungssicher"?
Filling in a questionnaire, in different languages, after picking a language up, you get 4 options :
Basiswissen
fließend
verhandlungssicher
Muttersprache
So, how are "fließend" and "...
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1
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Was ist der Unterschied zwischen "authentifizieren" und "authentisieren"?
Es gibt die beiden Verben authentifizieren und authentisieren, die beide mit dem Begriff "authentisch" verwandt sind. In Dokumenten bestimmter Fachbereiche, zum Beispiel in der EDV, findet man beide ...
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Warum klingt "treffen uns um 8" richtig und "treffen uns um 20" falsch?
Zeitangaben, bei denen die Stunde größer als 12 ist, funktionieren nur mit angehängtem "Uhr":
"Wir treffen uns um 23 Uhr."
vs.
"Wir treffen uns um 11." - "Morgens?" - "Nein, nachts!"
Obwohl die 24-...
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3
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Is "montäglich" commonly used?
Both Duden Universalwörterbuch and Wahrig Deutsches Wörterbuch contain the word "montäglich", meaning "happening regularly on Mondays".
But my German professor says he has never heard of this word. ...
- 323
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Would a computer use ‘du’ or ‘Sie’ for the user?
Would a computer use du or Sie for the user?
Example: “You have unsaved changes.”
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4
answers
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Difference between responding to "danke" with "bitte" versus "gerne"
I hear native German speakers respond to a danke with bitte as often as with gerne.
Is there a semantic difference between the two of them? Or a usage rule behind the choice? Is one more polite than ...
- 323
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votes
7
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Is there any difference between "laufen" and "rennen"?
This question also has an answer here (in German):
Wann benutzt man “laufen” und wann “rennen”?
I can’t quite grasp the difference between laufen and rennen. I know they both mean running. In ...
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5
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Is there a difference between "anschalten" and "einschalten"
Is there a difference between anschalten and einschalten?
If I turn on the TV, oven, heat, start the car etc., can either verb be used?
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Was ist der Unterschied zwischen einer Sage und einer Legende?
Ich habe bisher die Wörter Sage und Legende synonym verwendet. Es gibt zwar Dinge die ich so nenne, und andere Dinge, die ich wieder anders nenne (bspw. würde ich nie die Niebelungenlegende sagen), ...
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Names and total number of floors in buildings: what is correct?
I'm learning German and we've just looked into the topic "Wohnung", including numbering floors in a building.
For example, let's imagine a house:
-------------------------------
| dritter Stock, ...
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votes
2
answers
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Is "sitt" really a German word?
Some people use "sitt" to indicate that they are no longer thirsty. It is used in the same way as "satt" if you're no longer hungry. I've also read that this is an artificial word that people are ...
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6
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Do Germans use “Okay” or “OK” to agree to a request or confirm that they’ve understood?
For example, in English:
P1: Can you keep this suitcase for me for an hour?
P2: Okay.
Or in the case of confirmation of information processed by the receiving person of the dialogue:
P1: I ...
- 311
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10
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German word for a specific situation in an image
I know the word Pechsträhne (streak of bad luck) or maybe even Pechvogel (unlucky person) would fit the case, or even Schwein gehabt! if he survives (or Schadenfreude for what some observers may feel)
...
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Was ist der Unterschied zwischen "sinnfrei" und "sinnlos"?
Der Duden definiert "sinnfrei" als "völlig ohne Sinn" und "sinnlos" als "ohne Vernunft, ohne erkennbaren Sinn". Was ist der Unterschied zwischen diesen beiden Wörtern?
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Is ‘hallöchen’ appropriate between a professor and a student?
Can a teacher greet his students with hallöchen?
May I use this word to say hello to my German boss when he comes to our office?
I see it’s informal but I would like to ask about the communicative ...
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"Schwer" oder "schwierig"?
Ich habe beide Varianten gelesen:
Ungarisch ist schwer
und (vielleicht öfter)
Ungarisch ist schwierig.
Gibt es da einen Unterschied in der Bedeutung? Wenn nicht, ist die Form schwierig ...
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8
answers
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How are we polite without using "bitte"?
When asking someone for a favour it is considered rude to omit "please" in English. This seems not to be the case in German. In a shop or a restaurant I can frequently hear:
"Was bekommen Sie?" - "...
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What is a "Schnorrbrief"?
I received a letter addressed to the previous tenant and I asked her if she wants me to forward it to her. In the end she told me it is just some Schnorrbrief from Uganda.
Do you have any idea what ...
- 325
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votes
1
answer
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“Ab” vs “seit” for time periods
I have a problem understanding the exact difference between ab and seit when talking about the beginning of a time period. Can someone explain it?
I was corrected recently when I said:
Seit dem ...
- 325
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votes
6
answers
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How is the familiar "You" (Du) used in online conversations?
I remain fairly fluent in German from my experience living in Germany back in the 70's and 80's. However, the use of familiar "Du" among relative strangers online surprised me when I recently read ...
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2
answers
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"So" in German - meanings and usages
Does "so" have similar usage and meaning in English and German?
so ein schönes Lied!
das tut uns [ja] so leid!
so? Das wäre aber sonderbar
du darfst nehmen, so viel wie du willst.
...
user508
18
votes
3
answers
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How can I grammatically understand "Wir über uns"?
A lot of German-language web sites have a section called "Wir über uns." Here's an example: Credit Suisse - Wir über uns
To me this seems redundant; I would think "Über uns" is sufficient. That ...
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votes
6
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Usage of "zwar"
Can anyone explain how the word zwar is generally used? I see it a lot and it doesn't seem like it usually translates very well into English, if at all. Here's an example sentence:
Frage: Hat man ...
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3
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Was ist zu verstehen unter einer "Vollziehung der Ehe in der Marienkapelle der Hofburg"?
Dieser Satz stammt aus Alfred Kohlers "Ferdinand I., 1503–1564. Fürst, König und Kaiser":
Nachdem dann am 12. Juli zu Füssen der Kaiser seinen Heiratsvertrag
mit Anna für null und nichtig erklärt ...
- 283
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5
answers
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The difference in the usage of "Die Etage", "Das Geschoss" and "Der Stock"?
Auf der dritten Etage
Auf dem dritten Geschoss
Auf dem dritten Stock
All the above three phrases mean "on the third floor/storey" since Etage, Geschoss and Stock all mean "floor/storey" according to ...
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11
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How to express "fizzle out" in German
I'm am struggling with the right way to express, "to fizzle out", in German. Let me give some example sentences:
We were very good friends at first, but over the years, our friendship fizzled out.
...
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votes
6
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Was bedeutet "heuer"?
Im Hochdeutschen gibt es diesen Ausdruck m. E. nicht, ich habe ihn allerdings schon öfter gehört ... was bedeutet er genau, wie wird er verwendet, wo kommt er her und wo wird er benutzt (Bsp.):
...
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